In todays age, everyone has a website. It goes hand in hand when starting a business. Once your website has been created though, you need a place to store it. A place that actually houses the files that make up your site. This storage facility is called your “web host”. Think of the files that make up your website as a car and your web host is the garage. Websites started out very basic, just flat files that sat out on the internet.
These websites require a database system such as SQL and engines to run and deliver the files to a person viewing the site. These sites have the ability to run plugins and various other items. Plugins that do things such as SEO or change a specific picture or page. With this increased functionality came increased security and vulnerability risks. Plugins can become unsupported and the engines of the websites need to be updated often to patch for security flaws as they arise.
With that said, some chose to host their new age sites on your basic web hosting, which is no longer enough. Going back to the car and garage analogy, just parking your car in the bare bones garage doesn’t get the car checked up on, doesn’t get the oil changed or recalls done. That is where managed hosting comes in. Managed hosting is like a dealership’s garage where recalls are done, oil is changed, brakes are replaced and diagnostics are done.
The real disconnect is many just hear the term WEB HOST and have the expectation they are at the dealer’s garage as opposed to the bare bones one. Today’s sites require Managed Hosting, not old fashion hosting. Many ask “why is Managed hosting so much more expensive than regular web hosting?” It’s truly a matter of economics. Think of the garage analogy, if the car is in a desolate garage doing nothing, it won’t cost a dime as no one is doing anything to it. However, If the car is parked in the “dealership” type garage there are many people constantly checking on it, repairing it, maintaining it and so on
In closing you should be aware of the web hosting you have and understand what’s included (or not). Just because someone hosts your website doesn’t mean you are signed up for it to be maintained. If you have a site built on today’s standards you really should NOT be on the cheapest hosting package you can find, but the correct one!
The Breakdown:
Regular Web Hosting:
- Cheap
- No one is watching over it!
- Delivers your website to the world
- Usually run on lower end equipment
- Not managed, monitored or maintained
- Susceptible to viruses
- Susceptible to security flaws that can deface your site
Managed Web Hosting:
- More expensive
- Someone is monitoring it 24/7
- Managed, Monitored and Maintained
- Security Patches are applied on an ongoing schedule
- Dramatically reduces the risks of viruses and security breaches
- Constantly watching over the sites “Engines” to make sure they are in clean running order
